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Personal information

“Personal information” is the official term used in many privacy laws, notably in the US in Canada, to describe information related to or capable of uniquely identifying a person.

For example, here’s the definition of personal information used in the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA):

“Personal information” means information that identifies, relates to, describes, is reasonably capable of being associated with, or could reasonably be linked, directly or indirectly, with a particular consumer or household.

Canada’s Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) broadly defines personal information as “information about an identifiable individual”.

“Personal information” tends to be more commonly used in legislation and regulations in North America, as well as in translations of privacy laws adopted in non-English-speaking countries such as Japan and China.

In contrast, the laws of the European Union and the UK, including the GDPR, use the term “personal data”. “Personal information”, as defined in the CPRA, and “personal data”, as defined in the GDPR, mostly overlap. In colloquial industry use, they are often used interchangeably.

Another closely related term is “personally identifiable information” (PII).

Examples of personal information defined in the CPRA

According to the CPRA, “personal information” includes:

  • Real name
  • Signature
  • Postal or residential address
  • Telephone number
  • Bank account number, credit card number, debit card number, or any other financial information
  • Identifiers such as aliases, unique personal identifiers, online identifiers, IP addresses, email addresses, and account names
  • State identification card number
  • Insurance policy number
  • Physical characteristics or description
  • Commercial activity information, such as records of personal property, products or services purchased or considered
  • Biometric information
  • Internet activity information, such as browsing and search history
  • Non-precise geolocation data
  • Professional or employment-related information
  • Education information
  • All sensitive personal information, such as social security number (SSN), driver’s license number, passport number, health information, and genetic data.

Personal information does not, however, include deidentified information, as well as publicly available information or lawfully obtained information that is a matter of public interest.